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If you are planning to install the tiles yourself try the following steps.

1. Measure the length and width of your room. Multiply to get the square footage. Add 10-20% and use that number to calculate how many boxes of flooring you'll need. They come 40 tiles to a box and each tile is 12"x12".

2. Check to make sure your floor is level. If it is drastically off, or there is damage to your cement subfloor that will cause cracks and bumps in your new tile, you will need to use a self-leveling fluid. If this is the case, follow the instructions on the package to mix it to the right consistency (it comes in a bag similar to concrete or sand, but available in the flooring department of your hardware store).

3. Slowly pour the leveling fluid on the floor and make sure it is spreading out evenly. Use the trowel to gently help it along. Allow to dry according to instructions.

4. Choose where you will start your tile pattern and lay them out to see if you'd like them to all go in th same direction, or if you want to alternate the patterns. You can have a lot of fun by alternating colors, for a checkerboard effect. Many installers recommend starting from the middle and working outward.

5. With a clean trowel, apply a thin coat of adhesive on an area that will completely cover the space of a few tiles. Practice laying the tiles down and adjusting them so they are tightly pressed together. The adhesive stays tacky for approximately 2 hours, but the more tiles you have down, the harder it becomes to adjust them.

6. Once those first few tiles are placed to your satisfaction, you can apply more adhesive and apply more tiles.

7. When you come to an area where you have to trim tiles to fit, first measure the size that needs to be trimmed to and mark it lightly with a very sharp (or mechanical) pencil. When using your utility knife, use your ruler as the guide and press firmly but moving slowly and carefully. You will only need to run the knife over it 2 or 3 times to score it, then you can simply bend the tile and it will snap apart to your desired dimensions.

8. If you have a large enough space, you would want to rent a flooring roller. It's the same idea as a steam roller, but obviously smaller and human powered. By pushing this heavy metal roller over the tiles, it presses them down evenly.

9. If desired, you can sponge on 2-5 coats of floor polish (wait 30 minutes between coats) to protect your floor and give it a nice gloss.

I have a rather large Arizona room. The concrete floor is in exellent condition. I had thought I would lay tile, but have since decided to paint/stain or ? I would love the tile look but not sure how I could do this. Any ideas or suggestions?